The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party
(PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has released a statement rejecting the 2019 presidential
result.
According to him, the election was marred by electoral fraud
in many states. He said this is why he has not called President Buhari to
congratulate him.
''If I had lost in a free and fair election, I would have
called the victor within seconds of my being aware of his victory to offer not
just my congratulations, but my services to help unite Nigeria by being a
bridge between the North and the South.
“However, in my democratic struggles for the past three
decades, I have never seen our democracy so debased as it was on Saturday,
February 23, 2019. 2007 was a challenge, but President Yar’Adua was remorseful.
In 2019, it is sad to see those who trampled on democracy thumping their noses
down on the Nigerian people.
“Consequently, I hereby reject the result of the February
23, 2019 sham election and will be challenging it in court.” the statement in
part reads
Read the full statement below.
“I thank the Nigerian people who trooped out in their
millions to perform their civic duty this past Saturday. The patriotism of
Nigerians is heartwarming and affirms my oft-repeated statement that we are
brothers and sisters born from the womb of one mother Nigeria.
“With regards to the Presidential elections that took place
on February 23, 2019, it is clear that there were manifest and premeditated
malpractices in many states which negate the results announced.
“One obvious red flag is the statistical impossibility of
states ravaged by the war on terror generating much higher voter turnouts than
peaceful states. The suppressed votes in my strongholds are so apparent and
amateurish, that I am ashamed as a Nigerian that such could be allowed to
happen. How can total votes in Akwa-Ibom, for instance, be 50% less than what
they were in 2015?
“Another glaring anomaly is the disruption of voting in
strongholds of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos, Akwa-Ibom, Rivers and
diverse other states, with the authorities doing little or nothing and in some
cases facilitating these unfortunate situations. (See attached links to
documentary evidences).
“The militarization of the electoral process is a disservice
to our democracy and a throwback to the jackboot era of military dictatorship.
In some areas of the country, such as, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Imo states, troops
deployed for the elections turned their guns on the very citizens they were
meant to protect. This is condemnable and should not be associated with our
electoral process in the future.
“I am a democrat and there are democratic avenues available
to present the truth to the nation and the watching world. Already, many
international observers have given their verdicts, which corroborate our
observations. I am sure more will come in the coming hours and days.
“If I had lost in a free and fair election, I would have
called the victor within seconds of my being aware of his victory to offer not
just my congratulations, but my services to help unite Nigeria by being a
bridge between the North and the South.
“However, in my democratic struggles for the past three
decades, I have never seen our democracy so debased as it was on Saturday,
February 23, 2019. 2007 was a challenge, but President Yar’Adua was remorseful.
In 2019, it is sad to see those who trampled on democracy thumping their noses
down on the Nigerian people.
“Consequently, I hereby reject the result of the February
23, 2019 sham election and will be challenging it in court.
“I want to assure my supporters and the entire Nigerian
people that together, we will not allow democracy to be emasculated.
“I hope and pray Nigerians will someday summon the courage
to defend democracy. That is the only way we can move away from being the world
headquarters for extreme poverty.”
Signed:
Waziri Atiku Abubakar
27th February 2019
